Disarming Syria cannot be an 'endless process', No 10 warns

Plans for Syria to give up its chemical weapons must not be allowed to delay
the international community’s response to the deadly gas attack in Damascus
last month, David Cameron’s spokesman has warned.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gives an interview on America's CBS television's "This Morning". Assad warned Washington to brace for retaliation if US forces attack Syria, as he denies using chemical weapons against his people.Photo: AFP/GETTY

Downing Street demanded that that the Russian government and the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad now prove that the offer to put the weapons stockpile beyond use is “genuine and credible”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman warned that time was limited, adding: “This cannot be some kind of endless process.”

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, underlined the government’s cautious reaction. Mr Hague said Russia and Syria must show their plan is “credible” while Mr Hammond said: “History teaches us to be wary of anything which might simply be a delaying tactic.”

The government’s warnings came as international efforts to avert a military strike against the Assad regime gathered pace.

On Monday, Russia proposed a surprise initiative under which Syria’s chemical weapons would be placed under international control.

Syria has reportedly accepted the plan, which it hopes will avert the threat of American-led military action in response to what the White House says was a chemical attack by Assad regime forces which killed 1,429 people in a district of Damascus on August 21.

France will put a resolution to the UN Security Council to place Syria's chemical weapons under international control so they can be destroyed.

The French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, said the motion, which is expected to be backed by Britain, would threaten “extremely serious” consequences if Syria breached its conditions.

However, Downing Street urged caution over the Russian move, warning that the conflict had been ongoing for more than two years and suggesting that time was running out.

“If it is a serious and genuine offer then we would welcome it,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said. “Again, I underline 'if'.

“The onus is now very much on the Russian government and the Assad regime to follow up in a way that shows that this initiative is a serious and genuine offer,” he said.

“Our objective here in Syria has been to stop the suffering of the Syrian people. It has also been to prevent the Assad regime from using chemical weapons against its own people, as has happened on August 21.

“If there is a genuine offer to eradicate chemical weapons, then that is something that would be a big step forward.”

Mr Cameron’s spokesman added: “This can't be in any way a kind of endless process.

“Demonstrating that is very much part of how we establish whether or not this is a serious and genuine offer. We must be very vigilant about the risk of distraction tactics.”

President Obama has said he will put plans for a military strike against Syria on hold if the country places all of its chemical weapons for destruction under international control.

Syria has indicated that it will accept the Russian proposal, according to reports.

The Russian news agency Interfax quoted the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid Muallim, who is in Moscow, as saying: “We held a very fruitful round of talks with [Russian] Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday [Monday], and he proposed an initiative relating to chemical weapons. And in the evening, we agreed to the Russian initiative.”

This would “remove the grounds for American aggression”, he added.

The Russian plan came hours after John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, suggested that President Assad might prevent military action by giving up his chemical weapons.